need help with tapping noise

[bobaganoosh]

my nephew has an 88 2.3 vert and we have done alot of misc. work, rear main, starter, battery, selenoid, fly wheel, etc. nothing to the actual engine and when we re-installed the tranny the other day and started it up I have a tapping noise in the engine compartment that wasn't there before is there any specific places I should start looking?

and where is a bad tap going to come from that could cause engine failure.

the car only has 130,000 on it and has run very well until that day.

btw we did all the work ourselves getting familiar with the car.


thanks
mike

 

[bobaganoosh]

update

I went to my nephews and listened to the engine and found that it is coming from uner the valve cover near the back of the engine.

suspects,

fouled plug, plug wires, cap and rotor.

would I be correct.

btw he's getting really crappy gas mileage too.

mike

 

[Red_LX]

Well honestly, most 2.3's have some ticking noise either from the valvetrain or from the injectors. I couldn't really tell you what's causing it on his car though.

 

[bobaganoosh]

but this is not like any ticking I've heard before, it's a little louder than when my wife put regular unleaded in her 66 and had some pinging for a while. and the car never did it until recently, just glad it's not the timing chain.

mike

 

[Touring23]

Lifter clatter? If a cam lobe stops on the rocker the HLAs will drain down over time and then they need a bit of time to refill. Should correct itself fairly quickly. Just a SWAG.

 

[bobaganoosh]

thanks

mike

 

[Turbo_Raccoon]

ya sounds like the HL it should clear up by itself but then again 130000 on the motor with stockers. might need to change them. and they are very simple to chnage you can do it in a day.

 

[Asha'man]

You can do it in a couple of hours. I had to do my HLA's last summer, they ticked like a mofo. Dropped some new ones in and it quieted right down. Just make sure you have a better valvespring compressor than an 11/16" box end.

Brian